Color of the Roses
by SpiritofLove961
Summary: Each day, Jaden recieves a crystal rose. Each rose was a color of the rainbow and each had a specific meaning but what? Only our favorite Gem/Crystal Beast duelist can answer that. First YGO Gx story: Jesse Johan x Jaden Judai Hope you like it!
1. Red Rose of Passion

**Color of the Roses**

**Chapter 1: The Red Rose of Passion**

It was warm, spring Monday morning at Duel Academy. All of the students were bustling about to get to their classes before they were late getting to them.

In one of those classrooms, Syrus was anxiously waiting for his friend Jaden to get to class before their teacher, Professor Crowler came in. "Jaden, hurry up or Crowler's gonna give you detention for sure!" the young Truesdale said to himself.

Then he heard a snide, little voice say from behind him, "So I take it that the slacker's gonna be late again, huh shrimp?"

The silver eyed teen turned around and saw that it was none other than Chazz Princeton smirking at him. He glared at the black haired teen, "Who asked you, Chazz?"

The rich kid smirked as he shrugged his shoulders. "Don't let him get to ya, son." Syrus turned to the side and saw Hassleberry sitting in the seat next to him, "The serge will be here soon."

Chazz laid back in his chair placing both of his hands on the back of his head, "Keep telling him that, Bumbleberry."

The Ra yellow student turned to the other and frowned, "My name is Hassleberry."

"Yeah whatever, Boysenberry." the black haired duelist replied with a smirk as the dino duelist grunted and Syrus lightly slapped his forehead.

"Look, I know the serge is known for running late and it's important that he gets here or Crowler will give him detention…again. But I'm tellin ya, he's gonna walk right through that door any minute."

Then the three teens heard a voice say, "Hey you guys!" They turned and saw that it was Jaden coming in to take his seat. "Oh thank God!" the dino duelist said in relief as Syrus and Chazz stared at him blankly.

Jaden rushed to his seat, "Am I late?"

The light blue haired student shook his head with a smile, "No Jay, you made it just in time; Crowler's not even here yet."

The brunet blew a quick sigh of relief as he pulled out his chair, "That's good, for a second I thought…" When Jaden looked down, his brown eyes widened at what he saw in his seat.

His friends noticed his strange behavior, "What's up, Jay?" the silver eyed teen asked.

"Yeah, Serge?" Hassleberry added.

Jaden reached into his chair and pulled out a red, crystal rose that shimmered when light touched it, "This."

"Wow Jaden, where do you think that come from?" Syrus asked his friend.

"I have no idea, Sy." the brunet replied.

"Syrus, didn't you see him pull it out of the chair?" the black haired duelist asked.

Silver eyes narrowed at the other, "I meant how it got into his chair, Chazz."

"Anyway Serge," the Ra yellow said ignoring the other two, "why don't you read the note and see?"

"What note?" Jaden searched all around him as the other three stared blankly at him and sighed.

"The note that's tied to the flower, genius." the ebony eyed teen informed the other.

"Huh?" the brunet looked at the stem of the rose and saw a fancy looking note tied to it by a piece of gold colored string, "Oh that note." Jaden smiled as his friends groaned.

Jaden untied the string and skimmed over the note. As he did, his cheeks grew bright red and his friends instantly noticed it. "You alright there Jay; why are you blushing?" Syrus asked.

"What does it say, soldier?" Hassleberry asked.

"Nothing!" the Neos space duelist said as he quickly hid the note behind his back.

"Yeah right, slacker; let me see that!" Chazz snatched the note from behind the other's back. Ebony orbs skimmed over the cursive handwriting then widened, "Oh my God!"

"What?" Syrus and Hassleberry asked in unison.

Jaden reached for the note trying to get it from the rich teen but to no avail, "Give it back, Chazz!"

"No way, I'm tryin to figure out who's writing you a love letter!"

The other teens' eyes widened and cried in unison, "A LOVE LETTER?!"

"Quiet you guys; you want the whole school to hear you?"

"Oh sorry!" they said a bit quieter, "what's it say?" Both teens looked at each other as Syrus said, "Okay, we've got to stop doing that." The dino duelist nodded in agreement.

"I'll tell you as soon as Chazz gives it back!" the brown eyed teen cried as he continued trying to get the note back.

"Okay, okay…sheesh!" the rich teen handed the anxious duelist the note and the other grabbed it.

Jaden held the note in his hands and began to blush as he read:

_To my beloved Jaden,_

_You have received the elegant red rose which stands for love. The moment I laid eyes on you, everything in the world around me suddenly stopped. You were the only thing that stood out. Meeting and getting to know you had been the greatest thing to ever happen to me. I didn't have the courage to confess this to you face to face, but I have fallen deeply in love with you by the day. My love for you consumes every fiber of my being. Your determination, courage, compassion, and loyalty have fueled my passion for you. This is why I gave you this as a token of my feelings. I hope you love it as much as I love you._

_Forever Yours,_

_Your Secret Admirer_

When Jaden finished reading the note, his cheeks were as red as cherries. His friends stared at him with shocked expressions on their faces. "Wow Serge, that's a really deep note ya got there." Hassleberry said breaking the silence.

"Wow Jay, a secret admirer; that's so amazing!" the light blue haired duelist happily said.

"Yeah, that's great and all Sy but…but…"

"But what, Jaden?" the black dressed teen asked.

The brown eyed teen cutely tilted his head to the side and asked with a confused smile, "What's a secret admirer?"

At that moment, he heard a loud thud. He saw that his friends fell out of their chairs onto the floor anime style, "Is there a problem, guys?"

The three duelists hurried back on their feet and all gave him astonished looks. "Is there a problem he asks?" Chazz began, "How could you not know what a secret admirer is after hanging out with me?"

"Well, I never had one so I never knew!" Jaden explained as he held up his hands in his defense.

The rich teen groaned as he slapped his hand against his forehead, "You are so clueless!"

"Okay, that's it!" Syrus grabbed his friend's arm and started walking towards the door with Chazz and Hassleberry following after them.

"Uh Sy, where are you taking me?" the brunet asked his friend in wonder.

"To the one person who can help you." the smaller replied.

"Who the guidance counselor?" Jaden asked as the others groaned again.

"Get a move on Syrus, the slacker's getting dumber by the minute." the black wearing teed said bluntly.

The brown eyed teen looked back at the other, "Hey!" Then he turned back to Syrus, "Seriously Sy, what about Crowler's class?"

"Since when have you worried about Crowler's class or any class for that matter?" Chazz asked bluntly.

"But guys…!"

"This is no time for buts soldier, march!" the Ra yellow student commanded as they hurried to their destination.

* * *

In their room in the Obelisk blue dorm, Zane and Atticus were on their beds organizing their decks while their visitor, Aster was sitting in a chair reading a book. At that moment, they all heard a knock at the door. The cyber duelist turned to his roommate and asked, "Atticus, could you get that?"

"Sure thing," the dark brown haired teen turned to the door and yelled, "come in!"

Zane and Aster turned to him and stared in disbelief. Atticus looked at them and shrugged his shoulders, "What?"

"I believe he meant get up and answer the door." the silver haired teen answered.

"Why didn't he just say that in the first place?" the dragon duelist got off his bed to answer the door.

Aster turned to Zane with a questionable look as the other shook his head, "Just leave it alone."

When Atticus opened the door, he saw Syrus, Jaden, Hassleberry, and Chazz standing in front of him. "Hey guys!" the brown haired upperclassmen greeted, "Uh, shouldn't you be in class right now?"

"Shouldn't you?" the rich teen asked back.

"We're upperclassmen; we hardly ever go to class."

"Listen Atticus, we hate to interrupt, but Jay needs some advice." Syrus explained.

"Look Sy, I'm sure it can wait till you boys get done with Crowler's class."

"Yeah, but this is something that can actually help the guy in life." the ebony eyed teen added.

"Whataya mean?"

Syrus, Hassleberry, and Chazz took a deep breath and answered, "He doesn't know what a secret admirer is."

Atticus stared at Jaden in disbelief then back at his friends. "Why didn't you say that two minutes ago; get in here!" the dragon duelist said as he hurried the four teens into his room. As he did, he said, "Let me the first to say that I'm flattered that you came here for my overwhelming guidance on L'amour."

When he closed the door, he heard the black wearing teen say, "What guidance?"

"Quiet you!" the upperclassmen yelled at the other.

When there was no one in sight, a lone dark clad figure stood from behind the corner. On his shoulder, was a small creature with two sets of big ears, bright ruby eyes, and long blue tail with a red orb attached to end of it. "Looks like he received my gift, girl." the mysterious figure said to his accomplice.

"_Rubi?_" the cat like creature cried in a questioning tone.

He nodded, "Yes girl, it's time for the next gift." So the duo walked down the hall to prepare for the next surprise.

**To Be Continued…**

**A/N:**** Well folks, there's the first chapter to my first Yugioh GX story. I hope you guys like it and remember to read and review if you liked it!**


	2. Desire and Joyful Friendship

**Color of the Roses**

**Chapter 2: Desire and Joyful Friendship**

"So let me see if I got this right, you have a secret admirer, but you don't know what one is?" Aster asked the chocolate eyed duelist.

Jaden nodded with a goofy grin, "Yep, that's pretty much it."

The silver haired teen groaned, "No offense Jaden, but you can be so dense sometimes."

"That's what I said!" Chazz added.

The Slifer red turned to the black haired teen, "Wait, I thought you said that I was clueless?" Then he heard all his friends groan. He looked around at them confused, "What?"

"Clueless and dense mean the same thing, Serge." Hassleberry informed his friend.

"Oh."

Zane shook his head, "Honestly Jaden, how could you not know what a secret admirer is after hanging around with Chazz?"

"Exactly!" the ebony eyed teen added.

Atticus placed his hand on Jaden's shoulder and explained, "You see my dear Jaden, a secret admirer is someone who develops feelings of love for you, but they are too shy to tell you. In Chazz's case, he's my sister's public and secret admirer even though she won't give him the time of day."

Chazz turned to the upperclassman flabbergasted, "...Feelings?"

"I'm sorry man I'm just showing our friend a case of admiring that ends up in failure."

"Like that makes it any better!"

"So what you're saying is that the person who likes me, will never be able to get me?" the confused brown eyed teen asked.

"Well in Chazz's case that's true, but in other cases it's not." the cyber duelist answered.

"I'm in the room, you know!" Chazz exclaimed in anger.

"I'm just calling it as I see it." Zane added.

"Tch whatever." the rich kid said as he folded his arms and pouted.

"Well, you guys know that old saying," Atticus began placing his hand over his chest, "Is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."

The others nodded in agreement as Jaden stared at the dark brown haired Obelisk, "Who said that?"

His friends gasped and stared at him in disbelief as Atticus answered, "Alfred Lord Tennyson, Jay."

The Neos duelist shrugged his shoulders, "Who's that, a famous duelist?"

The guys stared at him flabbergasted as Aster asked, "How did you even get into this school?"

Jaden grinned, "I beat Crowler to get in, silly."

The blue eyed duelist shook his head, "Yes but still…"

"Moving along, Jay do you understand where we're getting at here?" Atticus asked.

"I think so; I'm just shocked that someone likes me that way."

"Why wouldn't they, Jaden?" Syrus reassured his friend as Hassleberry nodded.

"Sy is absolutely right Jay, you got a lot of good things going for ya." the brown haired upperclassman began, "The same things Chazz needs if he ever wants Lexi to even acknowledge him."

"I DON'T NEED THIS!" the ebony haired teen cried angrily.

The other teens stared at him blankly at that sudden outburst, "Well you don't have to shout; we're all sitting right here." the Destiny Hero duelist said.

"Yeah, what's your problem soldier?" the dino duelist asked.

Chazz groaned in annoyance, "Oh forget it, Blueberry."

"Here we go." Syrus gently slapped his forehead as Hassleberry turned to the other, clenching his teeth, "It is Hassleberry, Has-sle-ber-ry!"

"That's what I said."

"No, you didn't!"

"Gentlemen, gentlemen please," Atticus interrupted trying to console the others, "we're trying to help our buddy with his problem now."

"Yeah so chill out, you two." the Destiny Hero duelist added. The feuding teens huffed at each other and turned away, crossing their arms.

"I think I understand the situation better now." Jaden said with a reassuring smile.

The brown haired upperclassman patted the young Slifer's shoulder, "Well that's good to hear, Jay and don't worry, your admirer will show up soon." The chocolate eyed teen nodded happily as Atticus said, "Now, I think you boys better go find Crowler and explain to him why you skipped his class."

"Eyahhhh! I forgot all about that!" Syrus cried in panic.

"What are you freaking out about?" the ebony eyed duelist began, "You're the one who came here like you didn't care."

The light blue haired Ra student narrowed his eyes at the other, "Seriously, who asked you?"

"C'mon soldiers, let's get going instead of arguin about it!" the dino duelist explained as he rose from his seat and headed out the door.

The two teens brushed themselves off and they followed after Hassleberry, saying their goodbyes to the upperclassmen. Before he headed out the door, Jaden turned to the others with gracious smile, "Thanks for the good advice, you guys."

"No problem Jay, and if you have any more questions about romance, just give me a call!" Atticus replied with glee.

"Okay, later guys." the Neos duelist said as he went out the door after his friends.

"So, our little Jaden has a secret admirer; I wonder who it is." Aster said.

"Me too." the dragon duelist added.

Zane and Aster turned to the other with astonished looks plastered on their faces. Atticus turned to them and furrowed his eyebrow, "What's up with you two?"

"Usually this is when you'd come up with some crazy idea to reveal Jaden's secret admirer." the cyber duelist replied.

"Oh don't worry my friend; I'm sure something will hit me."

"That's what worries us." the others replied in unison.

"Oh come on you two, when have my plans ever been a bad idea?"

"Oh let's see, lots of times." the sapphire eyed teen answered.

Then they noticed Atticus sulking in a nearby corner pouting. "You try to help people and you get no respect for it." he mumbled to himself.

Zane and Aster stared blankly at him till the Destiny Hero duelist spoke with a shake of his head, "Oh grow up, will you?"

"Till this day, I still wonder why I'm friends with him." the cyber duelist added shaking his head.

* * *

When Jaden and the gang returned to Crowler's class, they saw the blond teacher was standing there waiting with his arms crossed, and foot tapping. "Hello gentlemen, I'm so happy that you could join my class," he began looking quite cross, "now that it's over!"

The Neos duelist tilted his head to the side cutely, "You don't seem happy…mph!" The others quickly covered Jaden's mouth to shush him.

Crowler rubbed his temple, "Anyway, I hope you four have a good explanation for skipping my class!"

"I'm gonna be honest here, Crowler, it was all Syrus' fault." Chazz answered without a second thought.

The others stared at the rich teen with mouths agape, "What; don't you blame this all on me!" the young Truesdale cried in anger.

"Well, you're the one who dragged the slacker away from class in the first place."

Hassleberry turned to Syrus and said, "He's not wrong there, soldier."

"Yeah, well nobody asked you to follow along!"

"Eh, he's gotta point there, Chazz." the dino duelist replied.

"Enough!" Crowler shrieked at the top of his lungs as the gang quivered in fear. "Quite frankly, I don't care whose fault it was, though my money was on the slacker."

"Hey!" Jaden protested.

"The point of the matter is, you all skipped class which I will not tolerate." the blond teacher smirked, "So all four of you will sit through a recap of today's lesson."

The boys stared at the teacher like he was mad. "I never thought I'd say this, but I'd rather have detention." the ebony eyed teen groaned.

"Chazz!" Syrus and Hassleberry cried loudly.

"Okay then, you'll each serve an hour of detention for two weeks starting today."

"An hour; why should I be punished because of these slackers?" the rich teen complained.

"Okay, two hours then."

"Two hours?!"

"Chazz shut it!" The two Ra yellows yelled simultaneously trying to stop him from getting them into more trouble.

"Three hours," Crowler smirked, "you want to go for four, Mr. Princeton."

Before Chazz could even utter a reply, Hassleberry quickly stopped him. "Just quit while we're behind son. Besides it serves you right for being a snitch." the dino duelist said as the other glared at him.

* * *

Later on that night while his roommates were asleep, Jaden sat at his desk reading the love note he received earlier in the day. The light from his desk lamp loomed over him as he read the elegantly written note. Every time he finished reading the letter, he would glance at the red crystal rose that he had placed in a blue vase.

At that moment, the young Slifer heard a small, sweet voice call to him. Jaden looked up to see that it was his friend and duel spirit, Winged Kuriboh. Jaden smiled, "Hey there, pal."

"_Krii, Krii_!" the winged creature said happily, bouncing around in the air. Then Kuriboh noticed the note in Jaden's hands and said in a questioning tone, "_Krii_?"

"Oh, this is a love note from…my secret admirer, buddy." the Neos duelist answered with a slight blush in his cheeks.

The brown, furry creature bounced all around Jaden happily squealing. Then it rubbed against his cheek which made him laugh with delight, "Ha Ha, stop it Kuriboh, you're tickling me!"

Kuriboh ceased with its actions and said in a questioning tone, "_Krii, Krii_?"

The brown haired teen shook his head, "I'm still trying to figure out who it is myself buddy." '_I sure hope I find out soon.'_

(The next morning…)

"Jaden, Jaden; c'mon Jay, wake up!" Syrus cried trying to shake his friend awake.

The Slifer groaned a bit as his eyelids opened slowly. Once his eyes adjusted to the light, Jaden turned and saw the sliver eyed teen hovering over him, "Sy, isn't it a little early to be up?"

"Yes it is, but look at what I found outside the door!"

The chocolate eyed duelist sat up and rubbed his eyes, "What is it?"

"Here, this is for you." Syrus placed a medium sized black box on the bed next to his friend.

Jaden stared at the package for a brief second before picking the top off it. Once he did, his eyes widened at what he saw.

Placed at opposite angles on the red silky padding were two crystal roses. One was vibrant orange and the other was bright sunny yellow. "Check this out, Sy." the chocolate eyed duelist said in amazement.

"Wow Jay, this is really awesome."

The other nodded in agreement but saw a small piece of paper hidden beneath the two roses. Jaden picked it up and saw that it was a note with elegant, cursive handwriting. As he read over it, the Slifer's cheeks grew bright red. Syrus noticed his friend's strange behavior then asked, "What does it say?"

Jaden took a deep breath, "It says…"

_My Dear Beloved,_

_The roses that you have received are the orange rose and yellow rose. The orange rose represents desire. My desire to be with you goes beyond all understanding. Every day, I think about holding you in my arms and never letting go, no matter what. Every night, I dream about telling you how I feel which makes my desire grow even more._

_The yellow rose represents joy and friendship. I may not have the courage to tell you who I am, but know this. Just being able to be close to you and seeing you gives me great joy. Your shining personality reminds me so much of this rose because you're always looking on the bright side and always there to help anyone in need. This is another reason why I'm so fond of you._

_I know you're anxious to figure out who I am, but rest assure. I'll reveal myself to you in time, just wait for me._

_Love, _

_Your Secret Admirer_

Once Jaden finished reading the note, he heard Syrus sigh happily, "Wow Jay, whoever this is, got it bad for you."

The Slifer turned to the other with a confused expression, "Got what?"

The younger Truesdale stared blankly at his friend then shook his head, "Never mind Jay…"

* * *

(At the Obelisk Dorm…)

After studying and rearranging his deck, Zane was all ready to lie out on his bed and relax. The moment his head hit the pillow, he heard a loud knock at his door. "What now?" the cyber duelist got off his bed and headed to the door.

Once he opened it, he saw Aster standing there with a stern look on his face, "Hello Zane."

"Um, hey Aster." the bluenette said wondering why Aster was there.

"I have a question for you; does this belong to you?" the well dressed teen said pointing to Atticus who was moping in the corner with a depressing aura surrounding him.

Zane rolled his eyes with a groan and walked over to his roommate, "What is the matter with you?"

"Ican'tthinkofalan" the brown haired upperclassman mumbled under his breath.

"What did you say?" the teal haired duelist asked.

"I CAN'T THINK OF A PLAN!" Atticus screamed at the top of his lungs.

Zane furrowed his eyebrow at the depressed teen, "A plan for what?"

Aster crossed his arms over his chest and sighed, "He's upset because he can't come up with some crazy plan to reveal Jaden's secret admirer."

The cyber duelist rubbed his temple in annoyance, _'I should have known.'_ "Look Atticus, maybe this is a good thing. If you really want to help Jaden, then you should just leave it alone and let Jaden's admirer tell him without outside interference."

Atticus gasped as he turned to his friend, "It's like you don't know me at all!"

The other teens groaned in annoyance at the brunet's ridiculous behavior. "Oh get over it, will ya?" the blue eyed teen asked in an annoyed tone.

"Let him be Aster; he'll just pout for 20 minutes and be back to his normal, crazy self. Well since you're here, you want to have a duel?"

"Duel...?" Atticus repeated with an idea forming in his head.

"Sure why not," Aster smirked, "and don't worry, I'll try not to beat you too badly this time."

"Beat…?"

"It's not like we're playing for anything," the teal haired teen smirked, "but you're on."

"THAT'S IT!" the brunette exclaimed making the others jump in surprise.

"I'm afraid to ask, but what's it?" Zane asked.

Atticus ignored the question and grabbed each of his friend's hands and shook them vigorously, "Thank you guys so much for being a great source for inspiration!"

Zane and Aster stared blankly at their friend as he ceased with the hand shake and headed down the hall as happy as a clam. The silver haired teen turned to the other and asked, "What just happened?"

"I think we may have given him an idea for a plan to reveal Jaden's secret admirer." the cyber duelist replied.

"What have we done?" Aster asked bluntly.

"Well hopefully it has nothing to do with us; you still want to duel?"

The blue eyed duelist shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, "Sure, why not." With that said, the two teens headed into the dorm room unaware of Atticus' plans for them.

**To Be Continued…**

**A/N: I'm so glad I got this chapter up for you guys. Sorry for the long wait; I hope it's to your liking! I'll get the next chapter updated as soon as I can. Remember to read and review, please and thank you!**


	3. Challenge with a Hint of Green

**Color of the Roses**

**Chapter 3: Challenge with a Hint of Green**

"Okay guys, after much brainstorming and planning, I have come up with the perfect plan! Are you guys ready?" Atticus asked his friends sitting before him.

Zane and Aster looked at each other and back at the dragon duelist with agitated looks. "Please, our hearts are pounding." the silver haired teen replied with sarcasm dripping off his every word.

"That's great; now then," Atticus began not hearing Aster gently smack his forehead, "we're going to hold a school wide dueling tournament!"

The bluenette furrowed his eyebrow at the other, "Wait a minute, what's dueling got to do with you trying to reveal Jaden's admirer?"

"I'm glad you asked that, my good man. You see, the winner of this event will receive one whole day with him."

"But how are you going convince Jaden to agree to that?" Aster asked.

The dark brown haired upperclassman chuckled lightly at the question, "Oh, you leave that to me. You may not know this, but Jay is kinda easy to persuade."

"There's no way that's true."

"You'd be surprised." Zane added bluntly. "But Atticus, how do you know that this scheme of yours will work?"

"It's quite simple, Zane. Now whoever this person is, is really into Jaden, but is too shy to tell him straight up, right?" the dragon duelist asked.

The other teens nodded in agreement and said in unison, "Right…"

"Well, if they join in the tournament and win, then they could prevent Jaden from falling into anyone else's hands, and we'll have him right where we want them."

Aster grinned, "Oh so it's like survival of the fittest, huh?"

"Exactly; nothing gets passed you, Aster!" Atticus replied with glee.

"Now that that's said and done," the cyber duelist began, "how do Aster and I play into your plan, Atticus?"

"Oh right; okay here's what you do…"

* * *

"Oh, I can't wait to get some grub!" Hassleberry said happily as he, Syrus, and Jaden were heading to the school cafeteria.

"I hear that; I'm in the mood for some good fried shrimp!" Jaden said with a huge grin plastered upon his face.

Syrus chuckled at the other, "I had a hunch you were."

"Hey guys!" The three teens looked ahead and saw and Obelisk student with blue green hair and aqua green eyes waving at them.

When the gang caught up with him, Jaden greeted him with a smile, "Hi Jesse, how are ya?"

"We haven't seen you around lately; whatcha been up to, soldier?" the dino duelist asked.

"Oh nothing much, but I'm doing alright." the bluenette replied, "So what are you guys up to?"

"We're on our way to the cafeteria. You wanna come too?" the chocolate eyed teen asked.

The Obelisk student smiled, "Sure, why not."

"Great, now let's get going; the fried shrimp awaits!" Jaden said happily as he headed towards their destination.

"He certainly is eager." Jesse said to the other teens.

"That's the Serge for ya!"

Syrus chuckled lightly, "Yeah well, we better follow after him or there won't be any shrimp left." With that said, they all followed after the giddy Slifer.

As they leaving, they were unaware that they were being followed. Two shady figures peered out from behind a tree and watched the group walk away. "I can't believe Atticus is making us do this, he should be arrested." the shorter figure said to the other.

"Isn't that the truth, but let's get this over with or we'll never hear the end of it." said the taller figure as they crept silently after the underclassmen.

Once they got into the building, Syrus turned to Jesse, "Hey Jesse, you won't believe the news."

"What news, Sy?"

"Jaden has a secret admirer!"

"Oh really?" the bluenette asked with a small grin.

"Sy!" the Slifer student cried with his cheeks flaring red.

Hassleberry grinned at the other's bashfulness and placed his arm around the other's shoulder, "There's no reason to be ashamed, Serge; we're all friends here."

"Well, I guess…"

"Have you figured out who it is, Jaden?" Jesse asked in curiosity.

"No not yet, but I have this funny feeling that I've met this person before."

"Well don't you worry Jay, we'll help you figure out who it really is." the silver eyed teen assured his friend.

"You can count on us, Serge!" the dino duelist added removing his arm and giving the Neos duelist big thumbs up.

Jaden smiled graciously at his friends, "Thanks guys!" Then he turned to the aqua green eyed Obelisk, "What about you, Jesse?"

"Sounds like a good mystery; you can count me in." he replied, "Now shouldn't we be getting to lunch now?"

"Yeah, let's g…" Jaden paused as he felt something grab each of his arms.

The others turned around wondering why Jaden didn't finish his sentence and they gasped at what they saw. Zane and Aster were holding on to each of Jaden's arms. He looked left and right, "Zane, Aster; what are you guys doing?"

"We'll explain later." the cyber duelist answered.

"Right now, we need you to come with us." the ocean blue eyed teen added as he and Zane carried the confused teen away as he screamed, "But what about lunch…and the fried shrimp?!"

When they left, Syrus, Hassleberry, and Jesse stared blankly at the empty spot, "Okay maybe I was hallucinating just now, but did Aster and Zane just kidnap Jaden" the Obelisk student asked.

"They sure did, but why?" Syrus asked.

"I dunno, but I got this weird feelin that things are about to get hectic around here, soldiers." the dino duelist replied as the others nodded in agreement.

* * *

When they got back to Zane's dorm, the said teen opened the door and he and Aster brought Jaden in and sat him in a chair. Before Jaden could even ask what was going on, the bluenette said, "We're sorry about "kidnapping" you like that, Jaden."

"I just want you to know that I was completely against this, Jaden." the well dressed teen added as the cyber duelist stared blankly at him.

"Well, what's going on here guys?" the perplexed teen asked.

"You don't need to worry, Jay." The three boys turned their heads and saw Atticus walk over to Jaden and squat in front of him. "I just need your help with something."

The chocolate eyed teen tilted his head to the side, "Why didn't you just ask me instead of kidnapping me?"

Aster and Zane stared at the dragon duelist with stern looks. "Yes Atticus, why?" the Destiny Hero duelist added.

"Let me explain," Atticus said sweetly to the young Slifer, "I have the perfect plan to help you figure out who your secret admirer is."

"Really?" the brown haired underclassman asked with sudden interest.

"Yes, but in order for it to succeed, I'll need your help."

"Well…"

"I'll treat you to some delicious food afterward." the dark brown haired Obelisk happily offered.

While Jaden was thinking it over, Aster turned to Atticus in disbelief, "Food? You expect him to go through with this crazy idea by bribing him with food?!"

"Bribe is such an ugly word, Aster it's more like a reward for all of his hard work."

"You make us kidnap Jaden and now you're trying to persuade him to do your bidding for food? Have you no shame?" the silver haired teen cried in anger with an anime style vein poking out of his head.

The dragon duelist pondered for a moment then smiled, "Nope!"

Aster huffed at the other, "Well it's not like you're going to convince Jaden to…"

"Will there be fried shrimp?" the Neos duelist asked cutely.

Zane rubbed his temple as Aster stood there appalled at the question, "H-H-Heh?"

Atticus grinned at the other, "All the fried shrimp you can eat, buddy!"

"Okay, I'm in!" Jaden answered happily without a second thought. Aster fell over anime style as Zane stared at him blankly.

"Oh thank you Jaden; you won't be sorry!" Atticus cheered as he shook the other's hands.

The silver eyed teen slowly rose up off the ground and growled, "HOW COULD YOU SELL YOURSELF LIKE THAT, JADEN?!"

"You know, I never knew that he was that easy to persuade." the bluenette said bluntly.

"...I think I'm getting a headache." Aster said placing his hand against his forehead.

"Okay boys, now that step one is complete, it's time for step two." the dark brown haired upperclassman announced.

"Are we still involved in your plan?" the blue green eyed teen asked pointing at Aster then himself.

"You got it!" the dragon duelist replied with a triumphant smile.

Zane sighed, "I was afraid of that."

Aster groaned as his ocean blue eyes looked up at the ceiling, "…Heaven, help us." While the upperclassman were complaining about what was coming next, Jaden sat in his chair grinning with a bit a drool dripping from the side of his mouth thinking about all that delicious fried shrimp.

* * *

(A week later…)

"I wonder what's up with Jaden, Hassleberry. He's been acting really weird and secretive lately." Syrus told the dino duelist as they were walking to class.

"Yeah I wonder too; it's not like the Serge to keep us out of the loop."

Once they got to classroom, they noticed that the whole room was empty and it was two minutes till class time. "Why isn't anybody here yet?" the young Truesdale asked as Hassleberry shrugged his shoulders.

Just then, they heard pounding footsteps heading their way. They turned and saw some students run passed them like they were in a hurry. One of them said, "Hurry, we gotta get some good seats!"

"I wonder what it's about!" another student said.

When the students were out of sight, Hassleberry said, "They took the words right out of my mouth."

"You slackers are always the last to know things." a snide voice said from behind them.

The two Ra yellows turned to see that it was Chazz. "Oh yeah, then you tell us what's going on then, son." the black haired Ra student said to the other.

"Everyone's heading to the school's dueling arena; some big announcement is being held there."

"An announcement; what about, Chazz?" the light blue haired teen asked.

The ebony haired teen shrugged his shoulder, "Heck if I know." As Chazz walked off, he called out to the others, "You better hurry up or I'm leaving you behind!" Syrus and Hassleberry hurried after the teen.

Once the three boys entered the seating area of the duel arena, they heard a voice call out to them, "Hey guys, over here!"

They turned their heads to the top rows and saw Alexis waving at them, "Over here guys; I've saved you some seats!"

"Hey Lexi; how's it goin?" Chazz said cheerfully with sparkles in his eyes as he ran up to the female Obelisk. The Ra yellows shook their heads at the other as they followed after him.

When they all were seated next to her, Syrus spoke, "So Alexis, you have any idea what's going on?"

The blond girl shook her head, "No I don't Sy; I'm just finding out about this myself."

"Well everyone sure is hyped up about it though." Hassleberry added.

"I'll say," Chazz began as he was looking around the stadium, "you know I don't see Zane, Aster, or the slacker in here."

Silver eyes glanced around the seating area, "Now that you mention it, I don't see them either."

"I don't see Atticus, either." Alexis said.

"Well don't worry, I'm sure they'll pop in any minute." the dino duelist said as the others nodded in agreement.

Just then, the stadium lights dimmed and the crowd grew quiet. Then some of the headlights shined onto the duel ring and Chancellor Sheppard walked to the middle of the duel ring and stood there. He held the microphone to his mouth and said, "Greetings students and faculty and welcome. It's going to be quite busy these next few weeks because a school wide dueling tournament will be held. During that time, classes will be canceled."

The crowd grew loud due to the murmuring being heard among the students. "A dueling tournament; awesome!" Syrus said as Alexis nodded her head in agreement.

"You can say that again, soldier!"

Chazz smirked, "Well it look like our days of detention are officially over."

"Oh before I forget," the school head began, "Dr. Crowler wanted me to announce that those who are serving detention will continue it after the tournament is over."

The three boys lowered their heads in defeat as Alexis stared at them with a confused look. "Now then, to fill you all in on the event's details, here's the one who planned the events, our very own, Atticus Rhodes."

Clapping and cheering echoed throughout the stadium. The gang stared in wide eyed shock, "Atticus?"

Just then the audience saw something swooping through the air on harnesses. The stadium lights shined on the flying figure to reveal that it was Atticus smiling to the crowd. Everyone cheered for the upperclassman, but the girls were the loudest. "Does he always have to be so dramatic?" Chazz asked furrowing his brow.

"I'm gonna go with yes." Syrus replied with a groan.

"Ten-four." the dino duelist added, pursing his lips.

Alexis shook her head and mumbled, "There are times like these that I wonder if we're related."

Atticus landed in the middle of the duel ring next to the chancellor and removed his harnesses. Then all of the lights came back on revealing the upperclassman wearing a crimson and black European style garment fit for a noble. He held out his hand to the school head, "The mike please, Chancellor."

Sheppard handed the teen the microphone and stepped off the duel ring. Atticus turned to crowd and spoke, "Okay everybody, like our beloved Chancellor Sheppard said, I'm holding a school wide dueling tournament for all of you talented students. This event isn't just about the glory of defeating your opponents, but you're dueling for an amazing prize!"

"A prize?" the blond female Obelisk asked the others silently.

"Considering that it's your brother Alexis, I can only imagine." the light blue haired teen added.

"The winner of the tournament will receive a grand prize; a day with Duel Academy's very own, Prince of Games! Here to introduce him are his loyal followers!" the dragon duelist proclaimed as he held out his hand to the entrance doors to the left of the arena.

There was a moment's silence throughout the stadium as the audience waited for what was coming next but nothing happened. A vein poked out of Atticus' head as he gave a threatening smile, "Ahem! I said, here to introduce him are his loyal followers!"

The duel ring doors opened and Zane and Aster walked out, wearing the same style clothing as Atticus was wearing, but were different colors. Zane's garments were ebony black and light teal blue. Aster's robes were shimmering silver and ocean blue. Both teens wore white masks that covered the upper part of their faces yet their eyes showed through the eye holes. They each also wore ear microphones as well.

There were ooo's and aahs echoing throughout the stadium. The gang's eyes widened at the upperclassmen as they walked onto the duel ring. "Wow, I didn't see that comin." Hassleberry said to the others.

"Why are Zane and Aster dressed like that?" Syrus asked in wonder.

"I have a hunch." Chazz replied.

"Me too." Alexis added. _'What could my brother be up to?'_

Then they saw Atticus stride over to the other two. The dark brown haired teen covered the mike which his hand and whispered, "What are you waiting for, say your lines!"

The cyber duelist groaned in annoyance as he said into his mike, "Presenting his royal highness…"

"The one and only…" Aster added, not enjoying this moment, "prince of Games."

At that moment, the arena lights turned off instantly which caused a small uproar in the audience. When they turned back on, every on in the audience stared in wide eyed silence at what they saw standing in the middle of the duel ring. Standing in between Zane and Aster was Jaden wearing a prince-like outfit with a blue puffy, long sleeved shirt, cream white leggings, red flat shoes, and a flowing red cape hung on his shoulders. The young Slifer stared at the crown with a fun grin, waving sheepishly.

The gang stared blankly at the sight before them till Alexis spoke, "Is that really Jaden?"

"Oh my God, what did your brother do to him?!" the two Ra yellows cried as the blond Obelisk smiled nervously at them.

"Why is the slacker called the Prince of Games? I'm the only one who's suited for that title around here!" Chazz exclaimed in anger.

Syrus narrowed his eyes at the rich teen, "Yeah, in your head."

"That's right folks!" the dragon duelist said cheerfully into his microphone, "The winner of the tournament will receive a day with our beloved prince and he'll do anything you wish."

"Does he really think that anyone with half a brain would go through this tournament just for th…" At that moment, the rich teen was interrupted by the rest of audience roaring in excitement at the prize.

Chazz stared at the other students like they were mad, "What's with everybody at this school?"

"I can't believe that your brother is selling poor Jaden like a…novelty item, Alexis!" the light blue haired teen cried in anger.

"I know!" the dino duelist added, ready to punch something.

"If anyone asks, I was adopted." the golden eyed female said with her head hanging down.

"Okay everyone, there will be tables set up outside for any and all who would like to participate. In three days, the tournament will begin so use that time to prepare yourselves and your decks!" Atticus announced.

Then Jaden grabbed onto the microphone and said with a smile, "Time to get your game on, everybody!"

The crowd cheered as the boys in the duel ring made their way out the double doors. When they left, everyone made their out of the stands, to the sign up tables. While the last remaining students were departing the seating area, the gang rose from their seats and headed the opposite way of when they came in. "Where are you guys going?" the ebony haired teen asked.

"Where do you think we're going soldier?" Hassleberry retorted.

"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking you, Blueberry."

Syrus pursed his lips together as he rolled his eyes as the dino duelist argued, "My name isn't…"

"Guys, guys relax; we don't have time for this right now?" the younger Truesdale said.

"Sy's right," Alexis began, "we have to figure out what's going on, let's go."

As the blond Obelisk headed out the stadium, Chazz turned to the Ra yellow's and said, "You guys heard the lady, let's go!" The two teens watched as Chazz quickly followed after Alexis like a giddy puppy. They both sighed heavily as they hurried after them.

* * *

In the hallway outside of the duel ring doors, Atticus smiled graciously at Jaden as he held the other's hands in his, "I'm so proud you Jaden, you did a terrific job out there. It was genius how you got the audience going like that!"

"Thank you Atticus; that was so much fun but," the brown haired Slifer pointed his right, "are Zane and Aster going to be okay; they seem kinda down."

The dragon duelist turned to where the underclassman was pointing and noticed a depressing yet threatening aura. When he saw what was causing, an anime sweat drop appeared on his head. He saw Zane with this back turned to him and Jaden, silently growling while Aster was on his hands and knees, quivering as he muttered out loud, "That…was…mortifying!"

"I can never show my face at this school again!" the bluenette said clenching his teeth.

"What's up with you two?" Jaden asked the discouraged teens with concern.

Zane and Aster slowly turned to the naïve Slifer with raging looks and said in unison, "Don't ask!"

The Neos duelist backed away from them in fear and replied nervously, "O-O-Okay."

"Say Jay, why don't you go into the room over there and change out of your outfit while I try to…console them." the taller said, directing Jaden to the changing room to the left.

Jaden nodded as he fleeted to the room and opened the door. When he walked into the room and shut the door, he could hear loud arguing going on outside of it. He sighed and looked ahead of him to find his school uniform placed neatly on top of a chair. As he got closer to his clothes, he noticed something else.

Sitting on top of his school clothes, was an emerald green crystal rose with a lavish note tied to it. He picked up shiny rose and untied the string that held the note to the stem. Jaden gently placed the rose back on top of his clothing and read the note to himself…

_My Sweet Jaden,_

_I have given you the green rose which represents calmness. Every time I see your beautiful face, your cute smile or hear your good hearted laugh, I feel so calm and serene._

_I hear that there will be a tournament and you're the grand prize. Rest assure, I won't let anyone else win you. I'll be participating in this event too and I will win, I promise you. I hope that you will be cheering me on in spirit. By the way, you looked really cute in that prince outfit._

_Truly yours,_

_Your Secret Admirer_

Jaden's cheeks grew bright red after reading that beautiful note. "Maybe Atticus' plan will work after all; I'll finally get to find out who my admirer is." The young Slifer pressed the note against his chest and sighed happily, "I wish you luck, whoever you are."

**To Be Continued…**

**A/N****: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I'll update the next chapter as soon as I finish the new story I'm working on, so stay with me! I would like to thank all the readers for the great reviews and faves! Remember to read and review; catch you guys later!**


	4. A Mysterious Climax

**Color of the Roses**

**Chapter 4**

"Atticus!" The said teen and his friends turned and saw the gang stare at Atticus with stern glares as Alexis continued, "We need to talk."

"About what?" the dark haired upperclassman asked feigning innocence.

"You know very well what, son!" the dino duelist answered.

"Yeah," Chazz began, "how could you give that slacker the name "Prince of Games" instead of me?"

Everyone stared at the ebony haired teen with incredulous looks. He shrugged his shoulders, "Well, it's the truth!"

"Anyway," Syrus began rolling his silver eyes, "how could you involve my friend and my brother in your hair brain scheme?"

"Believe me Syrus, if I had a choice, I wouldn't be here." Zane replied.

"Yeah, certain standards won't let us refuse."Aster added narrowing his eyes at Atticus.

"Why do you look at me when you say that?" the dragon duelist asked.

"Force of habit."

"Well, we're joining this tournament too, right guys?" Syrus asked the others.

The blond Obelisk nodded in agreement, "I know I am."

"Me too." Hassleberry replied.

The rich teen shrugged his shoulders, "I have nothing better to do."

"Yeah um, about that..." Atticus began, "there's one thing I forgot to mention. You four are banned from dueling in this tournament."

There was a moment's silence till the gang yelled angrily in unison, "WHAT? Is this some kind of joke?"

"Now look guys, I understand your frustration." the dark brown eyed teen said trying to console his friends.

"You couldn't possibly, or else you'd be running for life right now, soldier!" the dino duelist retorted.

"C'mon you guys, we actually want the participants to actually have a chance of winning."

The others pondered on that and nodded, "Yeah that's true."

Just then, they all heard a door squeak open. When they turned, they saw Jaden walk out wearing his usual red school blazer and white pants. "Hey guys what's up?" he greeted.

"Jaden!" Syrus and Hassleberry ran up to the surprised teen.

Alexis walked up to him as well and said, "Jaden, I apologize for my brother involving you in his insane ideas."

"That's okay Alexis, I want to do this." the Slifer student replied.

Everyone except Atticus and Zane gave the Neos duelist astonished looks. "Why?" the light blue haired teen asked.

"Because this maybe the only way to figure out who my secret admirer is. If I don't do this, I may end up regretting it."

"You have a secret admirer, Jaden?" the blond Obelisk asked in interest.

Jaden nodded, "Yeah oh that reminds me." The chocolate eyed teen pulled out his crystal green rose to show his friends.

"Wow Jay, how did you get that?" Syrus asked in awe.

"It was on top of my clothes in that room I just came out of."

"I have to admit," Chazz began, "even I'm curious as to who this person is."

"Me too; I got a note saying that they'll be participating in the upcoming school tournament." the Slifer added.

"See, I told you my plan would work!" Atticus said with glee.

"Jaden I'm happy for you and I understand why you want to do this, but don't you think it's risky." Alexis asked in concern.

"What do you mean?"

"What if some freak wins the tournament or something?" Syrus asked with a pale look on his face.

"Don't even joke like that, son." the dino duelist retorted.

"Even though it would be a sight to see." Chazz added with a sneer as the others gave him astonished looks, "What?"

"I am appalled at you Atticus. I can't believe you'd sell our friend out like that!" Syrus cried as he took Jaden's arm.

"You should be ashamed!" Hassleberry turned to the young Slifer, "Let's go Serge before your innocence is sullied anymore."

The two Ra yellows dragged their confused friend away from the others. The ebony haired teen grinned as he headed off in the same direction as the others, "Maybe this charade will be enjoyable after all."

"Chazz!" the others heard Syrus and Hassleberry cried in anger.

"Hey, I'm entitled to my opinion!"

Alexis sighed as she turned to her older sibling and held his hands in hers with a smile, "Atticus, I'm glad that you're trying to help Jaden but…"

Atticus could feel his sister's hands tightening their grip on his, "Um Lexi, you're hurting my hands."

"Oh I know…" He looked up and quivered in fear at that dangerous smile on Alexis' face, "hear this, if Jaden is pawned off to some perverted freak, I'll make sure that you'll regret it, okay?"

"I-I-I completely understand, sis." the dark brown haired teen winced in pain.

"Good." The blond Obelisk released her brother's hands and smiled innocently, "Well, good luck you guys!"

As Alexis walked away, Aster shook his head in disbelief, "With her around, I sometimes wonder who the older sibling is."

"Even though I've known them for a while, I still wonder about that." the cyber duelist added.

"Okay you guys," Atticus began getting over his past trauma, "let's start preparing for the school tournament; three days will be here before you know it!"

"Oh no," the silver haired teen said shaking his head, "I'm not being involved with this crazy scheme anymore. I have kidnapped somebody and humiliated myself; I'm not taking one more step with you, and I'm sure Zane will agree with me."

"I do, but if I don't do this, I'm going to hear about it for the next six months so…" Zane replied.

"Well I'm done and there's nothing you say or do that'll make me change my mind." Aster said turning away from the dragon duelist crossing his arms and sticking his chin in the air.

Atticus grinned evilly, "Oh really…"

"Yep." the sapphire eyed teen quickly replied.

"Oh well, in that case," Aster's eyes peered over to see Atticus go over to Zane and say, "Hey Zane, you won't believe what I heard about you."

The silver haired teen stared flabbergasted at the other who had an evil grin on his face, _'Oh, he wouldn't!'_

"Enlighten me." the bluenette in a sarcastic tone with narrowed eyes.

"Well, there's a certain someone who really…MPH!" Aster quickly covered the dark haired teen's mouth with his hands before he could even finish the sentence.

The cyber duelist stared incredulously at the other two upperclassmen as Aster spoke, "Don't mind him, Zane he doesn't know what he's talking about…excuse us!"

Zane watched as Aster hastened his retreat with Atticus. The bluenette shook his head, "I'm surrounded by crazy people."

"Atticus, you swore you'd never bring that up around him!" the blue eyed teen said angrily to the other.

"Did I say that?"

"Yes you did!"

"Well, if you don't help me then I'll tell Zane everything."

Aster glared at the other, "Are you blackmailing me?"

"Blackmail is such an ugly word; it's more of…yeah I am." the dark brown haired teen replied with an "innocent" smile.

"Oh, you are evil…"

"Now, now there's no reason to be harsh; just do this one little thing for me or I'll tell."

The sapphire eyed teen groaned heavily in defeat, "Oh alright, you win."

"Thanks dude, I knew I could count on you! Now let's get going, three days will be here in a snap." Atticus said with glee as he headed for his dorm room.

Aster sighed heavily, "When will the madness end…?"

* * *

(Three days later…)

At 10:00 a.m., an announcement was heard throughout the school grounds, "Greetings my fellow peers, the day of the school wide tournament has finally come!"

All of the participating students gathered in front of the building. They each were wearing tags with their dueling number printed on them. There was a stage set up before them where Atticus stood holding a microphone and a jumbo screen was set up behind him. To his right was Jaden sitting on a small throne in his princely garments smiling to the crowd. To the left of the stage were Aster and Zane with a small, cylinder platform in between them with a mini laptop placed on top. The dark brown haired teen spoke into the microphone, "This is quite the turn out we have here this fine day! Now, are you guys ready for some good dueling or what?"

He got a very loud cheer in response. Atticus smiled, "That's what I like to hear! Before we find out who duels who in the preliminaries, let's go over the rules for the event! Dueling times for each day, will be from 10 a.m. till 5 p.m. You are allowed breaks between duels if need be. You must be have dueled at least once each day. Those who are caught cheating and dueling before or after scheduled times, will be disqualified; no excuses. There will be duel officiators around to make sure these rules are followed."

"Now that that's been said and done, let's see who our first dueling pair is. Each dueling pair will be selected at random and displayed on the screen above me." Atticus turned to his friends, "Now if the guys will start the random selector program, we can get this show on the road!"

Zane hit a random key on the keyboard which turned on the big screen. The screen showed two separate empty squares with numbers flashing in each one. The audience watched with the anticipation till a pair of numbers appeared on the screen. "Alright, the first pair of duelists are numbers 3 and 24." the dragon duelist announced, "Now, let's see who the remaining pairs of duelists will be."

Once all the pairs were decided, the tournament organizer announced, "Okay, let me briefly explain how this will go. As stated earlier, duels will go on till 5 p.m. If you are in the middle of a duel before time is up, the appointed officiator will contact me on the situation and you may finish it. Those who win their duels will proceed to the next round. Only eight will proceed to the semi finals where two duelists will be chosen to duel in the championship round in the hopes of spending an entire day with our beloved Prince of Games! Now, everyone report to your destinations and begin your duels!"

A roar of cheering echoed throughout the school grounds as the crowd began to die down. The students tracked down their opponents and appointed destinations for dueling. Duelist #3 who happened to be a Ra yellow came upon a forest clearing. He looked around for his opponent till he heard the rustling of fallen leaves coming from in front of him. When he saw who was heading his way, his eyes widened at the sight. A person wearing a white mask that only covered his eyes, a long, violet cape with a rose attached to it and a suit to match. The mysterious duelist had long, blond hair as well. "Are you my opponent?" Duelist #3 asked.

"If your Duelist #3, then yes I am." the other duelist replied with a smile.

"Do you actually go to this school; I've never seen you before."

"Let's just say, I've been around longer than you think."

"Okay guys, you ready for your duel?" The two duelists turned to the source of the voice and saw Syrus heading towards him holding a walkie talkie.

"Truesdale," the fellow Ra student began, "why are you here?"

"I'm the duel officiator of this area. Now, you guys ready to duel?"

"I'm ready." the mystery duelist said as he activated his duel disk and drew his cards.

Duelist #3 did the same thing and smirked, "I don't know you are dude, but I'm not gonna go easy on you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Alright you guys begin the duel!" the silver eyed teen said. As the duel got under way, Syrus held up his walkie talkie and pressed the side button. "Atticus, are you there?"

Once he released the button, he heard the said teen's voice through the speaker, "I'm here Sy; has your duel started?"

"Yes, but I don't recognize Duelist #24; does he even go to Duel Academy?"

"He must be or else he wouldn't be in this tournament to begin with and he's in the tournament registry. Keep a close eye on him."

"Okay, over and out." The silver eyed teen cut off the walkie talkie and turned his attention back to the duel.

Back at the stage, the guys were eyeing the mystery duelist's picture on the computer screen. "He doesn't look like anybody I know." Aster said.

"Yeah, me neither." Atticus added.

"Do you guys think that it's my secret admirer?" Jaden asked.

"It's a possibility; I mean no one would dress that eccentrically unless they needed to." the Destiny hero duelist answered.

"Whoever it is definitely, wants to keep their identity a secret till the time is right." Zane added, "Very clever, I say."

"This person maybe as devious as me" Atticus said.

The other two upperclassmen stared at the older brunet with disbelieving looks. "Nobody is as devious as you, Atticus." Aster said bluntly.

"Why thank you." the dragon duelist said with a smile. His friends groaned as Jaden stared at them with a questioned look. "Now then, we need to keep a real close eye on that mystery duelist. He may have the upper hand by pulling the wool over our eyes, but rest assure my friends, I'll be the one who has the last laugh…MUAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The other two upperclassmen stared blankly at their mad friend as Jaden smiled innocently, "Good for you, Atticus."

Zane raised his eyebrow at the young Slifer as Aster said, "He scares me in so many ways."

"Which one, the terrifying brunet or the dense one?" the cyber duelist asked.

"Hard to chose."

* * *

(A few weeks later…)

The dueling tournament was getting off to a great start. Only eight competitors were left and of those eight, the mysterious duelist was among them. As Atticus was going through the line-up, he came across the duelist's picture, "I got to admit, this guy's certainly making his way up the ranks. Just who is he; I must know!"

As he was heading back to his dorm room, Zane groaned, "I can't wait till this thing is over; I've exerted more energy than I needed to."

When he looked ahead of him, his eyes widened at who he saw. Coming down the other hall, was the mystery duelist. Zane quickly hid behind the corner till the other passed by. He watched the other walk into one of the rooms, "So this guy does go to this school and is an Obelisk."

The bluenette quietly followed after the suspicious student and came upon a cracked open door and peered in. He watched as the duelist took off his cape, duel disk, and mask. "Man, this get up is uncomfortable; especially this wig." Zane heard him say. When the student removed his blond wig, the cyber duelist gasped at who it was but then grinned. He leaned against the door hinge and said, "Hello…Jesse."

The said teen jumped and turned to see the other bluenette staring at him, "Z-Z-Zane!" he stammered in shock, "What are you…h-h-how long have you been there?"

"Long enough to find out that you are the mystery duelist." Jesse panicked as the other said, "It's alright, I won't tell anyone." He watched the other Obelisk sigh and wipe his brow. "But why are you wearing a disguise anyway?"

"Um…well…I…."

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen you around at all lately; what have you been up to?"

"I've just been busy lately Zane, that's all." Jesse replied hoping that would end the conservation.

The cyber duelist pondered on it, not the least bit convinced. Then an idea came to mind, "Let me guess, all this is about Jaden; isn't it?"

"W-W-What gave you that idea?" the Crystal beast duelist asked feigning innocence.

"Well," Zane walked over to the where Jesse put his cape and looked closely at the blue rose pinned on it, "this looks exactly like crystal roses Jaden has been getting."

"Pssh, it's just a coincidence."

"You're Jaden's secret admirer, aren't you?"

"Tch, no of course not." Jesse answered receiving a disapproving look from the other. He sighed deeply, "Yes I am; how did you figure it out?"

"I had this feeling that you were somehow involved and I wondered why I didn't see your name in duel line up since you were eligible. Actually, it wasn't that hard to figure out; I'm surprised the others haven't figured it out yet."

"Zane, please don't say a word of this to anyone especially Atticus and Jaden."

"Relax, there's no way I'd tell Atticus about this. If he found out, the whole school would know about it by morning."

"True."

"And you don't have to worry about Jaden; he's as clueless as ever."

"Well, he is cute when he's clueless." the crystal beast duelist said with a small smile.

"Wow, you really do like him, don't you?"

"Yeah I do."

"Well, like I said you're secret is safe with me. But you do know that the tournament's is going to get tougher from here. There are still a number of duelists you need to get by before you can get to the final round." Zane explained.

"I'm well aware, and I'm ready for them."

"Well I wish you luck, Jesse." Zane said as he headed towards the door.

"Thanks Zane, oh and before you go, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure, what is it?"

* * *

At the Slifer Red dorm, Jaden was alone in his room reading over the last note he got from his secret admirer. While he was, Winged Kuriboh appeared beside him. "_Krii Krii_?" the creature asked in a questioning tone.

Jaden turned to his duel spirit, "Oh hey pal, I was just thinking about my secret admirer."

"_Krii Krii_?"

"No, I don't know who it is yet. I wonder if that mystery duelist really is it, but then again, it may be one of the other seven duelists." The brown eyed teen groaned as he plopped down on his bed, "Just who is it; the suspense is killing me!"

Just then, Winged Kuriboh sensed someone walking around outside. "_Krii Krii_!"

"What is it buddy?" Jaden asked sitting up.

"_Krii_!"

"Someone is outside?"

The duel spirit nodded, "_Krii Krii_!"

"Oh it's probably just Syrus or Hassleberry." the Slifer replied as he got up from his bed and headed towards the door.

He turned the knob and opened it. Jaden looked around outside, but didn't see anyone around. "Uh Kuriboh, are you sure someone's out here?"

"_Krii_!" the winged spirit said pointing to the door.

Jaden turned to where the creature pointed and saw a blue crystal rose hanging on the door's hook by a string. He took the rose off the hook and carried it back into his room. "_Krii Krii_?"

Jaden looked at the cursive handwriting as he began reading, "It says…"

_My Beloved Jaden,_

_The rose that has been presented to you is the blue rose which represents mystery. In order to keep my identity a secret, I must be cloaked in mystery. I don't want to reveal my identity to you yet. I know your itching to know who I am, but I must ask you to be patient just a little while longer. I'm confident that I will win this tournament and that day with you. I can't wait to see you at the championship match in that adorable prince outfit._

_Love always, _

_Your Secret Admirer_

"_Krii Krii_!" Kuriboh said jumping up and down with glee.

"You're right, pal, this is getting exciting. I really hope whoever this is makes it to the finals." Jaden said excited for what's to come.

**To Be Continued….**

**A/N: Bet you all weren't expecting that; things are only going to get crazier from here. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and that it was well worth the wait. Remember to read and review if you enjoyed it and tune for the next update. Catcha later!**


	5. An Enchanting Moment

**Color of the Roses**

**Chapter 5: An Enchanting Moment**

"Attention students," Atticus said into his microphone to the audience, standing in the middle of the school's dueling ring, "welcome one and all to the finals match of our school wide dueling tournament!"

The crowd cheered in excitement and anticipation for the action that was sure to come. Dressed in his princely garments, Jaden sat on his throne chair clapping with excitement. On each side of him stood Zane and Aster, dressed in the robes and masks that they wore in the opening ceremony. They were kind of annoyed that Atticus made them wear the outfits again, but they were also glad that all of this was finally coming to an end.

"Can you believe the tournament's winding down already?" Syrus asked his friends.

"It's about time; I'm tired of everyone idolizing that slacker over me."Chazz added receiving questioning looks from the others, "What; it's the truth?"

"Anyway, I just hope that whoever wins this duel isn't some kind of freak that would take advantage of Jaden." Alexis said in a concerned tone.

"I'm with ya there, ma'am." Hassleberry added.

"Ditto." the light blue haired teen replied.

The three turned to Chazz for him to answer. The ebony haired teen looked at them with a raised eyebrow, "What…oh yeah, that would be tragic."

"Can't ya at least say it like you mean it, son?"

"At least I said it, Raspberry."

"For the last time, it is Hassle…!"

"Don't start!" Syrus interrupted as the two teens huffed and turned away from each other.

Once the cheering died down, the dark brown haired announcer said, "It has been a long road for all of our contestants, but only two duelists rose to the finals. But before I call them to the ring, let's have a rousing applause for all of our fellow peers who participated!"

Everyone in the stands clapped their hands for the contestants. As soon as the applause ended, Atticus spoke up again, "Yeah, you all did a great job! Alright now, let's get this party started!"

The students cheered at the top of their lungs as the Obelisk student raised his index finger in the air and pointed to his left, "Now on my left, the first finalist is Mark of the Obelisk Blue dorm!"

The doors to the left of the announcer opened automatically. Coming out of them was a tall, short lavender haired male with emerald eyes wearing the Obelisk blue uniform which was the blue blazer and black uniform pants. This particular guy was looking quite confident as he made his way to the ring. "Let's show this guy some love!" Atticus called out receiving a loud cheer in return especially from the girls.

"Well, he's certainly popular."Syrus said.

"What gave that away, the girls nearly blowing our ears off?" the ebony eyed teen asked with sarcasm.

"Alexis, you know who that guy is?" the drill sergeant asked the blond.

"Yeah, he's known as the "play boy" of the Obelisk Blue dorm. He always flirts with anyone who he deems cute in his eyes."

"What a loser." Chazz added.

"And now," Atticus announced pointing to his right, "his opponent will be the duelist that has left you wondering his true identity, the mystery duelist; give it up!" The doors to his right opened automatically and the unknown duelist stepped into arena with his purple on his blond head, his white mask over his eyes, his purple tuxedo, and his purple cape flowing in the wind as he walked.

The crowd cheered for the purple cloaked duelist. The females were cheering twice as loud for him as well. "I don't know what it is, but there's something about that guy that seems kinda familiar." Hassleberry said.

"How can you tell?" the silver eyed teen asked.

"Yeah, he doesn't look like anyone I know." Alexis added.

"Just call it dino's intuition, I guess."

"Okay," the gang turned their attention back to Atticus. "do our competitors have any opening remarks before we get this duel underway?"

"I do." Mark said as he walked up to Atticus and held out his hand to him, "May I?"

"Sure thing." the dark brown haired teen replied as he handed his microphone to him.

The lavender haired teen brought the microphone to his face and said, "I had a feeling that I would make it this far in this tournament and as it turned out, I was right. I believe what kept me going through this event was the thought of our adorable prince spending time with me." His green eyes peered over to the young Slifer who was blushing slightly at the comment. He smiled graciously as he continued, "Once I win this duel, I vow to treat this lovely creature as if he were royalty."

Most of the girls in the crowd swooned or cheered happily at the handsome teen's words. "And here I thought Chazz was full of himself." Syrus said.

"Hey!" the ebony eyed teen protested.

"He nauseates me; to think the Serge may end up going to him if he wins."

"I know; he even tried to get me to go out with him using those drippy lines. I shudder just thinking about it." the blond Obelisk added.

Syrus shook his head, "I'm sorry that you had to go through that, Alexis." Then he began looking around noticing that someone was missing, "Uh, where's Chazz?"

The other two began looking around for him as well, "I dunno, he was here a minute ago." Hassleberry added.

Just then the said teen rose up from the row behind them wearing a long, light purple cheering jacket (the one he wore when Alexis dueled her brother) and a white band over his forehead. "Mystery duelist or whatever your name is, beat that chump into the ground!" Chazz yelled through his bull horn.

"Chazz, what are you doing?" Syrus asked with a raised eyebrow.

"What do you think; I'm giving my support to that cloaked guy so he can win!"

"Wow son, you actually do care about the Serge; I'm impressed."

"Oh please, that's not why I'm cheering for him. I just want that pretty boy beaten; how dare that loser flirt with my sweet Lexi!" the ebony haired teen admitted while the two Ra yellow rolled their eyes at him while Alexis stared blankly at him. "I want that mystery guy to crush him into the bowels of defeat so the skies can rain down with his tears! MUWAHAHAHAHA!" Chazz raved as a flaming aura surrounded him.

Syrus' eyes narrowed at the other as he pursed his lips together. "…He's cracked." he said bluntly.

Alexis smiled nervously at the other, "Seems like it."

Hassleberry's head dropped as he added, "We don't know him; we met him when we came in."

"Seems like someone's confident in their victory; let's just hope that confidence won't be your undoing." Atticus said into this microphone that was handed back to him. Then he walked over to the mystery duelist and asked before holding out his microphone to him, "Does his opponent have anything to say to that?"

The purple cloaked teen grabbed the microphone and replied into it, "Yes I do; I admire my opponent's confidence, but," he pulled out a violet rose and raised it to his face, "we'll see who wins the prince's hand in the end."

Then the duelist turned to Jaden and tossed the rose at him. The young Slifer caught it in his hands and noticed some familiar qualities about the flower. His chocolate colored eyes widened as he looked back at the masked duelist who smiled sweetly at him before turning around to this opponent. Jaden blushed as he held the rose's stem in his hands, _'Could he be?'_

"Okay everybody, now that the introductions are over and done with; let's get this show on the road! Duelists, come to the center and shuffle each other's decks!" Atticus announced as the duelists did as they were told. They handed each other their decks and shuffled it.

Once they were finished, the mystery duelist handed the other his deck, "Good luck out there."

Mark smirked as he took his deck and gave the masked duelist his, "I don't need luck to beat you; so don't get friendly with me."

A frown came to the mystery duelist's face as he took his deck from the other, "We'll let the cards do the talking."

"Gentlemen, take your places!" Atticus said as the two teens went to each other's side of the ring. Then they both placed their shuffled decks in the deck slot on their duel disks then activated them. "And now, let's hear those famous words from our own Prince of Games!" the dark brown haired teen announced holding his hand out to Jaden.

The prince stood up from his throne with a bright smile on his face as he spoke into his ear microphone, "Okay guys, it's time to get your game on!"

"You heard his highness so, start the duel!" Atticus announced as the crowd cheered and the duelist drew their cards.

* * *

The audience was on the edge of their seats for the entire duel. There were moments where it looked like one of them was about to lose, but they immediately got back into the game. When the duel was over and the last life point was gone, the victor stood proud on his feet while the loser was on his hands and feet in defeat. "The duel is over folks; the winner and champion of the tournament is the mystery duelist!" Atticus said into his microphone, holding out his hand to the said duelist.

The auditorium howled with applause and cheers. "He did it!" Syrus said happily.

"The Serge is safe from that playboy!" Hassleberry added.

"Thank goodness." Alexis said with relief.

"Serves you right for flirting with my future girlfriend pal!" Chazz yelled holding up a sign that said "M.D. Rules!" The two Ra yellows sighed, holding their heads down in defeat as Alexis stared blankly at him, blinking her eyes every few seconds.

"How could I lose to some guy in a tacky outfit?" Mark muttered to himself, while on the ground.

The dark haired announce walked over to him and covered his microphone with his hand, saying softly, "Yeah um, I know that you've just lost and all, but could you please leave the ring; you're starting to bring me down." The lavender haired teen was flabbergasted at the other before rising to his feet and stomping out of the ring, muttering angrily.

"Alright then," Atticus turned to the victor and said before holding out his microphone to him, "so mystery duelist, how does it feel to be the last man standing after all of this?"

"Honestly, I feel both thrilled and relieved. I fought long and hard to get here. Now that I have, I feel that all I have done has not been in vain."

"Whoa, that's deep; say, why don't you tell our audience who you really are." the Obelisk student urged on him as the audience sat at the edge of their seats, anticipating what's to come.

The mystery duelist shook his head with a grin, "I'm sorry, I will only reveal myself to the one that I hold dear to my heart." He turned to the chocolate eyed teen and graciously smiled at him. The other blushed as his eyes darted downward. The masked teen turned back to the announcer, "Now, I must be on my way; please excuse me."

The purple clad teen headed out the duel ring doors while the audience murmured loudly to each other at what just occurred. "Talk about a guy who's modest." the dino duelist said to his friends who nodded in agreement.

"Wasn't expecting that."Atticus said to himself before speaking into his mike, "Thank you all again for your participation and hard work throughout these past couple of weeks! Now, I deem this event, done!" He received a rousing applause from the audience before everyone began departing the auditorium.

The dark brown haired teen walked to his fellow upperclassmen and sighed with a grin, "Whoo! Well that went well, wouldn't ya say?"

"Yeah, I'm just glad that it's over." Zane admitted.

"You can say that again," Aster added, "now we can get out of these ridiculous outfits."

"You guys are such sticks in the mud. Why can't you guys be more spontaneous and supportive of my ideas like Jaden; right Jay?" When he didn't receive an answer, Atticus looked at the throne and noticed that the young Slifer was gone, "Where did he go?"

"Probably went to go find what's left of his dignity." the Destiny hero duelist answered.

Atticus sunk to his feet as he hugged his knees sulking, "You guys are so cruel; this is the thanks I get for being a good friend?"

The other two teens sighed in annoyance as the cyber duelist said, "Oh grow up."

* * *

As the mystery duelist was walking down the empty hallway, he heard a voice call out after him, "Hey, wait a minute!"

He smiled before stopping to turn around. When he did, he saw Jaden run up to him then bend over to catch his breath, "Is there something you need, Jaden?"

"Yes," the brunet replied as he stood straight up holding the purple rose in his hand, "I wanted to ask you something; are you my secret admirer?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, this rose you threw to me is exactly like the ones I've been receiving."

"I see," the purple clad figure walked closer to the brunet and smiled, "well, to answer your question, yes I am."

Chocolate colored eyes widened at the confession. "Really?" he asked receiving a nod from the other, "So, who are you?"

The mystery duelist shook his head, "I can't tell you just yet, but you will find out soon enough."

"Oh." Jaden lowered his head as his eyes ventured to the ground.

"But, I can tell you what that rose symbolizes though." The smaller looked up with anticipation as the other explained, "The purple rose symbolizes royalty and enchantment. I found it appropriate since you're in royalty garments. Since the first time I laid eyes on you, you have enchanted me with your cheery personality, your strength, your kindness, your skill, and your beauty."

Jaden's eyes glistened with pure delight as his cheeks grew bright red, "Wow, you certainly have a way with words."

"Why thank you; say Jaden, would you mind if we spend our day together a day from now?"

"No, but why not today?"

"Well most of the day is already gone due to that duel and I really want this day to be special."

"Oh well, okay."

"Great; now before our rendezvous, you'll receive a letter with the details alright?" the mystery duelist asked receiving a nod in return. The taller smiled lovingly then took Jaden's hand in his. The brunet gazed at the other till he felt the other's lips peck at the back of his hand. His cheeks grew even redder as his sparkling eyes met the taller's masked covered face. Then he watched as the mystery duelist lowered his hand a bit and smiled, "I'm really looking forward to the day when I'll reveal everything to you. I hope that I catch your heart as you have mine, my beloved."

Jaden gasped as the taller gently released his hand and began to walk off with his cape bellowing in the wind behind him. "Wait, mystery duelist." the young Slifer called out.

The said figure stopped dead in his tracks before facing his love again with that charming smile, "Until we meet again, Jaden and you really do look adorable in that outfit."

The chocolate eyed teen didn't say another word as he watched the mystery duelist walk out the double doors. His eyes glistened with delight and anticipation as a loving smile arose on his face. "Can't wait." the brunet said softly to himself.

"Jaden, there you are!" Syrus called out as he and the gang ran up to him.

"You had us worried sick, Serge." Hassleberry added.

"I wasn't." Chazz said bluntly as the others looked at him with disbelieving looks, "What?"

"Anyway, Jaden what are you do…" Alexis noticed that the young Slifer was staring off into space smiling, "Um, Jaden?"

The said teen didn't answer her. "What's wrong with him?" Aster asked.

"And what's with that dopey smile on his face?" the ebony eyed teen asked.

"Oh I know that look, that's the look of a guy in love." Atticus said with a smile while placing his hand over his heart.

"Yeah…so how do we snap him out of it?" Chazz asked.

"I'll handle this." Zane walked over to the occupied teen then snapped his fingers loudly in his ear.

Jaden immediately recovered and noticed that his friends were standing around him. "Oh hey, when did you guys get here?" the brunet asked innocently.

The others looked at Jaden then back at Zane with questioning looks. "Um Zane, how did you do that?" the silver haired teen asked.

The bluenette simply shrugged his shoulders, "I saw it on T.V. once; I just figured that it might work."

"So, Jaden where have you been?" the light blue haired teen asked.

"Oh I'm sorry guys; I was just talking with that mystery duelist."

"Really?" the dino duelist asked the other.

"What did you two talk about?" Aster asked the brunet.

"He told me what the rose that he gave me symbolizes and that he would like to spend his day with me, a day from now."

"Why then?" Chazz asked.

"Well," A slight blush ran across Jaden's face as he replied, "He said that he wanted our day together to be special."

"Aww, that is so romantic." Alexis said with a smile.

"I can be romantic too, Lexi." the ebony haired teen said receiving a blank look from the blond Obelisk.

"Moving along…what are you guys doing for this special day, Jaden?" Zane asked.

"I dunno yet, but he said that I will be receiving the details tomorrow."

"Well Jay, I guess you should be thanking me for all of this." the dark haired Obelisk said proudly.

"Thanking you; we should be lucky that the mystery duelist even won that duel!" Syrus cried.

"Yeah, what if that pretty boy won; who knows what he could've done to the Serge!"

"Exactly!" Alexis added.

"What do you guys mean?" Jaden asked with his head tilted slightly to the side.

"Never mind, Jaden; don't worry about it." Zane answered.

"Hey, at least it all worked out in the end; I mean Jaden's happy, right Jay?"

The young Slifer nodded happily, "I sure am."

"I honestly think that you should've just left things alone and let the secret admirer reveal themselves to Jaden on their own instead of turning it into one huge production." Aster said as the others, except for Jaden, nodded in agreement.

"Seriously, how long have you guys known me?" Atticus asked bluntly.

"…Good point." Everyone said in unison as the Jaden looked at them bewildered.

* * *

The next day, Jaden was walking back to his dorm from class. At that moment, Winged Kuriboh appeared, floating beside him, "_Krii Krii!_"

"Oh hey pal, how are you?"

"_Krii Krii!_" the furry winged creature replied happily.

Jaden smiled at his spirit friend then sighed, "Well Kuriboh, tomorrow I meet my secret admirer and I have to admit, I'm a little nervous."

"_Krii Krii?"_

"Maybe it isn't nerves; maybe it's just anticipation from wanting to know who it is."

Once they got closer to the Slifer dorm, Winged Kuriboh noticed something and flew towards Jaden's door. Jaden noticed the spirit's strange behavior and followed after him, "What is it, pal?"

The winged spirit pointed to something sticking out from underneath the door, "_Krii!_"

Jaden looked down and saw it as well. He pulled it out to discover that it was a black envelope with his name on it in gold, cursive lettering. He turned it over to find a gold sticker that kept the envelope sealed. The brunet carefully peeled off the sticker thus opening it. He pulled out a letter that had gold trimmings along the edges and elegant, cursive handwriting in black ink just like the letters that he had received before. _"Krii Krii?"_ Winged Kuriboh said in a high pitched, questioning tone.

"Hmm," the young Slifer began, "It says…"

_To my Beloved Jaden,_

_At last, you and I will finally meet tomorrow. You don't know how long I've been waiting to do this and I know you are just as eager to meet me as well. Meet me at the beach at noon tomorrow. I'll be there with two more crystal roses and what you find, may surprise you. I can't wait to see you and finally tell you everything. I'll see you tomorrow, my sweet prince._

_Love, _

_Your secret admirer_

"_Krii Krii!"_ the duel spirit said happily while jumping all around.

"You're right pal; this is exciting." The brunet looked back at his note with a warm smile,_ 'I finally get to meet you after all this time; I will definitely be there.'_

**To Be Continued…**

**A/N:**** Well folks, the epic moment has finally arrived for our dear Jaden, but will he accept his secret admirer? Stay tuned for the next chapter and find out!**


	6. A Sweet and Pure Romance

**Color of the Roses**

**Chapter 6: A Sweet and Pure Romance**

It was the day that Jaden would finally find out who his secret admirer is. Ever since he began thinking about who it could be, he always had this feeling that it was someone familiar to him, but he never could figure out who it could be. He woke up early to get ready and meet with his secret admirer. Once he was dressed and ready to go, he checked himself in his mirror to make sure he looked okay.

After that, he headed to the door. Before he grabbed the knob to open it, he took a deep breath then exhaled, "Well, here goes nothing."

The chocolate eyed teen came out of the Slifer dorm and headed towards his destination. Unaware to him, his friends just happened to see him leave. "Hey, there goes Jaden." Syrus said.

"Today is the day that the Serge meets his secret admirer, right?" Hassleberry asked.

"No Bumble berry, he's going for an afternoon swim; what do you think?" Chazz replied.

Before the dino duelist could even retort, the younger Truesdale stopped them, "Again I say, don't start!"

"Well you guys know what we have to do right?" Atticus asked receiving questionable looks from his friends.

"We wait for Jaden to come back and tell us who his secret admirer is himself?" Aster suggested hopefully.

"_Pssh!_ Of course not, Aster; who has that kind of time?" the dark brown haired teen replied bluntly.

The Destiny Hero duelist placed his hand over his forehead with a grown as Zane said, "Even I saw that one coming."

Aster sighed, "I should've known better."

"You're not suggesting that we spy on Jaden are you?" Alexis asked her brother.

"Don't think of it as spying dear sister, think of it as discovering the truth."

"Don't even try to sugar coat this;" the ebony haired teen said, "we all know that you're just trying to be noisy."

"Look, we can stand here and have a debate on what you're calling this, but I'm going to go see who it is." Atticus began to head in the same direction that Jaden was going, "Hurry up or I'll leave you guys behind!"

"Shouldn't we stop him?" Syrus asked.

"That's like trying to stop a tornado." the cyber duelist answered bluntly.

"That's my brother for you Sy, nothing stops him when something exciting like this happens." Alexis added.

"We better follow him." Hassleberry said as they all came to an agreement and ran after their friend.

* * *

Unaware that his friends were following him, Jaden continued on his way to the beach. He went through the forest towards his destination. Once he came upon the forest's clearing, he heard the sound of gentle, rolling waves. He looked up and saw that he was at the beach. The young brunet stepped onto the sandy shore then looked at his watch for the time. "Well, it's noon right on the dot." He lifted his head up and searched around for his secret admirer, "Where is the mystery duelist?"

"Hey Jaden, over here!" The said teen turned around and saw Jesse coming towards him with his hands behind his back.

The brunet smiled as he ran up to his friend, "Jesse, it's been ages since I last saw you; how have you been?"

"I've been doing good and you?"

"I'm doing just fine."

"So what brings you to the beach today, Jay?"

"Well, I'm supposed to be meeting someone here at noon, but they don't seem to be here yet."

"Really?" The other as the bluenette grinned, "Are you waiting for someone who has to tell you something important by any chance?"

"Yeah I am, but how did you know?" Jaden asked his friend in wonder.

The gang poked their heads up from behind some bushes at the forest clearing and saw Jaden and Jesse talking to each other. "Hey, what's Jesse doing here?"

"Good question, Syrus." Alexis added.

"Let's keep watchin and find out." Hassleberry said as the rest of the gang continued to observe the two teens.

"Jaden, there's something that I would like to give you." Jesse said finally.

"What is it, pal?" the young Slifer asked.

The teal eyed teen pulled his hands out from behind his back and revealed that he was holding two crystal roses in one hand. One was light pink and the other was white as snow. The rose glistened in the sunlight. Jaden's eyes widened as he stared at the roses then at Jesse as he said, "These are for you, Jay."

"What did he give the Serge?" Hassleberry asked.

"It looks like roses." Aster answered.

"And they're shiny too like crystals." Alexis added.

Just then, a thought struck Syrus. "Wait, if those are crystal roses then…"

"No way." Chazz added, beginning to catch on to what the other was getting at.

"Jesse?" Jaden began to ask.

"Yes Jay?"

"Did the mystery duelist ask you to come meet me here instead?" the confused teen asked.

From behind the bushes, the gang fell over anime style, astonished at their friend's simple-mindness. Chazz sat up with a frown on his face and clutching his hand in a fist, "How dense can a guy be?!"

The silver haired teen gritted his teeth, "It ought to be a crime to be that clueless!"

"I really do worry about that kid." Zane said as Syrus, Hassleberry, and Alexis nodded in agreement.

Atticus shook his head with grin, "Our little Jaden has a lot to learn in the lessons of life."

Jesse was shocked by the question for a brief second then began to laugh, "Oh Jay, sometimes you can be so clueless, but that's just one of the things I find cute about you."

"Funny, that's what the others always say." the chocolate eyed teen said. Then his eyes widened at the other's final words, "Wait, did you just call me cute?"

The bluenette smiled as he nodded his head, "That I did and actually, there's something you should know. I know all about the mystery duelist and how he won the day with you. I also already knew about your secret admirer before Syrus even told me about it."

"But how could you have known about all of that, Jesse?"

The said teen's cheeks grew bright red as he shyly ran his free hand through his blue hair, "Because I am the mystery duelist and your secret admirer." The young Slifer's chocolate eyes widened in shock at his friend's words as he continued, "I'm the one who has been sending you those roses and letters. When I heard about that school tournament Atticus threw where you were the grand prize, I didn't want to risk losing you to someone else. Then it dawned on me that maybe the tournament was a ploy to reveal me to you before I had the chance to. So I became the mystery duelist so I could duel without anyone suspecting me. You have no idea how happy I was to win the tournament and the day with you."

Jaden blushed as he took the two crystal roses from his friend. "You did all that for me?" the brunet asked.

"Of course I did, Jay. Just like I've been saying in my letters, I really do care about you. I wanted to tell you sooner, but I was afraid that it would have hurt our friendship. But the more time that I spent with you, the more my love for you grew. So I sent you roses if different colors that have different meanings and the letters to give you an understanding of how I felt."

A loving, sweet smile arose on Jaden's face as his chocolate colored eyes glistened with happiness, "Wow Jesse, that's the most awesome thing that anyone has ever done for me."

"I'm glad that you feel that way, Jay." the bluenette said happily.

"Who would've thought that it was Jesse all along?" Syrus said.

Hassleberry sniffed as water came to his eyes as he cried, "I know right."

"Um Hassleberry," Alexis began, "are you crying?"

"Why not; the Serge looks so happy and these touching moments always get to me!" the dino duelist said as he used his forearm to wipe away his stray tears.

"It's okay; let it out, big fella." Syrus said as he gently patted the other's shoulder trying to console him.

"I gotta admit even I could learn a thing or two from that slacker." Chazz said.

Atticus brought a handkerchief to his eye as he sniffled, "There's nothing more romantic than two teens finding love and this is all thanks to my interference! What a great friend I am!" The dragon duelist burst out into tears of joy and rested his head on Aster's shoulder as the others stared blankly at him.

Aster rolled his eyes as he gently patted the other's head, "There, there."

Zane shook his head at his friend then smiled, "So Jesse finally told Jaden how he feels about him. It's about time that he told him what's been going on."

The others turned to the cyber duelist with surprised looks. "Wait a minute Zane, you knew about this all along?" Alexis asked.

"Well, I always had my suspicions on who Jaden's admirer was and I happened to come across Jesse changing out of his mystery duelist outfit and he told me everything."

"If you knew that then why didn't you say something?" Atticus asked, flabbergasted that his friend kept a secret this big from him.

"Now you know that I had to keep it from you, Atticus. If I had told you, then you would've blabbered about it to the whole school." Zane replied.

The dark brown haired teen placed his against on his chest, shocked at his friend's words, "Are you insinuating that I would tell someone's personal business to complete strangers?"

"Well let's see, you held a tournament where Jesse would've nearly lost his chance to be with Jaden." Aster answered bluntly as the others nodded in agreement.

"…Well!" the dragon duelist scoffed.

"Anyway, it's not that hard to figure out when you think about it." the bluenette added.

"Okay let's see…wait, crystal roses…" Syrus began to conclude.

"And Jesse duels with the Crystal Beast deck." Hassleberry added.

"Each rose was also a color of the rainbow." Alexis concluded.

"Crystal beasts…crystal roses; why didn't I see that?" Aster asked.

"That slacker is really good." Chazz said to himself.

The blond Obelisk rose to her feet then turned to her friends, "Come on you guys, we better leave these two alone now."

"The lady's got a point, soldiers." the dino duelist agreed as he and the others stood up to head back to the school.

"Yeah," the light blue haired teen began, "those two have a lot to talk about. When Jaden tells us about this, everyone act surprised."

"Got it." the gang said in unison as they headed back towards the school.

As Zane was about to leave, he turned and saw Aster staying behind. He tapped the other's shoulder, "Hey Aster, aren't you coming?"

"Yeah; hey Zane, you mind if we stop by my yacht? There's something that I want to talk with you about." the sapphire eyed teen said.

"Sure thing." the bluenette said as he and Aster headed towards the docks.

"So Jesse, what do these two roses represent?" Jaden asked the other in wonder.

"The pink rose represents sweet thoughts and grace and the white rose represents innocence and purity. My head is always full of sweet thoughts of you. Of all the roses that I have given you, I feel the white rose represents you the most because you're so innocent and you have a pure heart."

Jaden blushed as a smile arose on his face, "Gee, thanks Jesse, that's really nice of you to say."

"You're welcome Jay; say, are you hungry?"

"Am I ever?"

"I figured that which is why," the bluenette turned to present a picnic basket sitting on top of a navy blue beach blanket with two plates, two cups, and two sets of silverware placed out, "I set this up for us."

"Wow!" the brunet said with glee as he and Jesse walked over to the beach blanket to sit down. "Jesse, this is amazing; thank you!"

The blue haired Obelisk smiled, "Your very welcome, Jay."

When the two teens were settled on the beach blanket, Jesse opened the basket and pulled out a container full of something that made Jaden's eyes sparkle with joy, "Jesse, is that what I think it is?"

"You certainly have good eyes, Jay." The bluenette opened the lid of the container to reveal that it was full of fried shrimp, Jaden's favorite. "Now, why don't we get our grub on?"

"Yeah let's!" the young Slifer agreed wholeheartedly as they began to eat.

After they finished their meal, they had a rousing game of duel monsters. Then they began talking creating great conversation. The two teens were having such a great time together that they didn't even notice that the sun was setting. "So Jesse, how come you didn't duel with your crystal beast deck in the school tournament?" Jaden asked the other.

"Well, I didn't want anyone to suspect me while I was the mystery duelist so I had to duel with another duel deck. My duel spirits weren't pleased with my decision at first, but they eventually understood why I had to do it."

"Well, you completely had me fooled!" the brunet said with a cheeky smile.

"...Oh I know."

"So, you think we should head on back to my dorm and hang out for awhile?"

"Actually," Jesse began, "I was hoping that we should stay for a little while longer."

"How come?"

"There's something special happening later on tonight and I wanted us to watch it together."

"O-O-O-O, what is it?" the chocolate eyed teen asked with curiosity.

"You'll see…"

* * *

**(A few hours later…)**

The sun had set and the sky became dark blue and a gentle, cool breeze swept across the beach. Jaden and Jesse were sitting on top of the beach blanket gazing at the calming beach scenery before them. The ocean waves were rolling gently onto the shore. The stars were shining like diamonds in the night sky. "C'mon Jesse, where's this something special that's supposed to happen; the suspense is killing me!" the brunet said with such anticipation.

The blue haired Obelisk chuckled at the other's excitement, "Patience Jay, it's about to start…now."

Just then, the young Slifer saw something twinkle out the corner of his eye. He looked up at the starlit sky and saw lots of bright, shooting stars fall across the night sky. Jaden stared in awe at the sight. His chocolate colored eyes glowed with excitement as a bright smile arose on his face. Jesse smiled lovingly at his love as he was enjoying the wonderful sight, "So I take that you're enjoying the surprise?"

"I sure am; you knew that there would be a meteor shower tonight?"

"Yeah I did; after all, I did want our day together to be special."

Jaden smiled sweetly at his friend. He was so touched that Jesse went through all of this just for him; he couldn't be happier. Then he leaned his head against the other's shoulder and sighed happily, "Jesse, this had been one of the greatest days of my life."

The bluenette blushed slightly then smiled, "Mine too, Jaden." He wrapped his free arm around the brunet, holding him close as they continued to watching the falling stars shoot across the sky.

These two teens weren't the only ones enjoying this sparkling show. Syrus, Hassleberry, Alexis, Chazz, and Atticus were all hanging out in the Slifer dorm and just happened to notice the meteor shower happening outside of the window. "Wow, what an amazing sight." the light blue haired teen said in awe.

"Ten-four, son." the dino duelist said in agreement.

"Yeah, it certainly is beautiful." Alexis added.

"Yeah, but your beauty surpasses those stars Lexi!" Chazz said lovingly to the blond Obelisk who simply smiled nervously at him.

"Aw-w-w," Atticus said placing his hand over his chest looking touched "isn't that sweet? Looks like Chazz is finally stepping up; wouldn't you agree, guys?"

The two Ra yellows looked at each other with narrowed eyes and pursed lips then back at the dark haired teen, "…Right."

"Say Atticus, do you know where my brother is; I thought that he would be here by now." Syrus asked.

"Yeah and where's Aster?" Hassleberry asked.

Atticus thought for a minute then giggled, "Let's just say that those two are have a lovely, little get together." He giggled again as the other stared at him then at each other with questioning looks.

At the docks, Zane and Aster were standing on the deck of Aster's yacht, watching the meteor shower as well. "This is an interesting way to end the festivities." the silver haired teen said to the other.

"You could say that." the cyber duelist replied as he joined hands with his new lover while they continued to watch the falling stars.

* * *

"You know something, Jesse." Jaden said snuggling close to the other.

"What is it, Jaden?"

"I was kinda hoping that you were my secret admirer."

"Oh really?"

The chocolate eyed teen's cheeks began to grow bright red, "Well yeah, because I've grown to like you for awhile too, and after all of this, I'm really glad that it all worked out."

"I am too, Jay and now that we're together, I promise to always be by your side no matter what until your roses wilt."

Jaden stared at the other with a perplexing look, "But Jesse, those roses are made of crystal; they will never wilt."

Jesse just smiled lovingly at him, "Exactly."

The brunet thought about what he said then began to understand. "Oh…" Jaden said with reddened cheeks, "I'll say it again Jesse, you have such a way with words."

"Call it a weakness." the bluenette replied.

At that moment, the both of them stared aimlessly into each other's eyes for what seemed like eternity. Warm, chocolate orbs met dazzling aqua green eyes. Then they both leaned in close till their lips met into their first kiss. What made the sweet gesture even more special was that stars continued to fall across the night sky above them.

**The End**

**A/N:**** Well folks, that's the end of my very first Yu-gi-oh GX story; I hope you all enjoyed this final chapter. Remember to read and review and let me know what you thought of this chapter and/or the story. Thank you all for the great reviews and faves on this story; I'm glad you all enjoyed it! Stay tuned for future stories coming your way! **


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